Death Penalty Opponent Sister Helen Prejean to Lecture at Holy Cross

WORCESTER, Mass. – Critically acclaimed author and well-known member of the death penalty abolition movement, Sr. Helen Prejean, C.S.J., will speak at Holy Cross on Tuesday, Sept. 25, at 7:30 p.m. in the Ballroom of the Hogan Campus Center. Her lecture, titled "Dead Man Walking: The Life Story," is free and open to the public.

Born in 1939 in Baton Rouge, La., Prejean began her crusade to abolish the death penalty as a poor nun willing to correspond with a prisoner. A member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Medaille since 1957, she has served as a teacher, religious educator and formation director for her community. She is author of the best-selling book, "Dead Man Walking," that was the inspiration for the 1994 movie starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn. Currently, she continues her ministry to death row inmates and murder victims' families. She has three times been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

According to Tom Landy, sociology professor and associate director of the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture, "People who have ever heard Sister Helen Prejean speak - whether they are pro-death penalty or anti-death penalty - have told me that she is one of the most extraordinary speakers they have ever heard. No one who hears her speak could be unaffected."

Prejean previously lectured at Holy Cross in September 1998. She is the recipient of a Doctor of Humane Letters honorary degree from Holy Cross in 1999.

This lecture is sponsored by Holy Cross Students for Life, the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture, and the President's Office. It is part of the College's semester-long series of events that explore the theme of forgiveness.